
A request by Mt. Bethel Christian Academy for up to $50 million in tax-free bonds to expand its upper-school campus on Post Oak Tritt Road will be heard by the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
According to an agenda item, Mt. Bethel is asking commissioners to adopt a resolution from the Development Authority of Cobb County “to finance the costs of, constructing, expanding, improving and/or equipping certain educational facilities for the use and operation” of the private school facility, where a high school campus has been in operation since 2014.
Private businesses and other entities seek the bonds for expansion projects, and commissioners are asked to adopt those resolutions.
But public money is not used for what are called “Lease Revenue” bonds, which lower the cost of borrowing compared to standard corporate bonds.
The agenda item (you can read it here) further states that “the proposed Bonds will not be an obligation of the County, or of the State of Georgia or of any county, municipal corporation, or political subdivision of the State of Georgia. The proposed Bonds will not be paid from taxes, but will be payable by the Issuer solely from amounts to be paid or provided by the Company.”
Mt. Bethel, which began under the auspices of the now-Mt. Bethel Church in 1998, is planning to move its middle school grades to the 33-acre site near Holly Springs Road.
It enrolls nearly 700 students at all grade levels, including around 200 in high school. The expansion project would allow up to 625 students in grades 6-12.
The school is proposing to build a multi-story classroom building and other academic facilities and construct a new dining hall.
In December, commissioners adopted a master plan for the Post Oak Tritt property to relocate and expand some existing athletic facilities and allow a second access point to the campus.
The school separated from the church in 2021 and has rented K-8 class space at the church property on Lower Roswell Road.
But the school’s lease is up in 2028, and academy officials are also seeking a new site for the K-5 grades.
There’s not room on Post Oak Tritt Road for the entire school, which school officials envision having around 1,000 students in the future.
The development authority held a public hearing for the Mt. Bethel proposal on Jan. 24, and according to Tuesday’s agenda item, there were no speakers commenting either for or against the bond proposal.
But some nearby residents were concerned about some of the changes that were eventually incorporated into the master plan, including lighting and noise issues stemming from the athletic facilities, as well as a buffer between the school and the neighborhood.
The Board of Commissioners meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. You can view the full agenda by clicking here.
You also can watch the hearing on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
Related stories:
- Cobb consultants propose planned development zoning category
- Chimney Springs pop-up food market proposal withdrawn
- Mt. Bethel Christian Academy master plan approved
- First Cobb Unified Development Code installment released
- Cobb commissioners withdraw ADU proposal
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